Label Review. 

‘Live In Japan’ combines Jones’ early 1980s Japanese albums and singles with 22 bonus tracks, big colour booklets and a DVD. Also available on triple vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

Davy Jones, the effervescent English singer/actor, pint size pop star, heart throb and ‘frontman’ of the American television rock ’n’ roll group The Monkees; the wildly famous and preternaturally buoyant pop group of the 1960s, also toured as a solo singer-songwriter. And now The Monkees specialists 7A Records are releasing ‘Live In Japan’ - long sought after by The Monkees fans worldwide - which has been lovingly remastered and presented in this stunning box set / triple vinyl.

The 2CD + DVD set features Davy’s two original Japanese live album releases, including 22 bonus tracks consisting of alternate mixes and original Japanese single releases. All recordings have been digitally remastered for optimum sound quality and have never sounded better. The set comes with a comprehensive 24 page colour booklet, including sleeve notes by Iain Lee and Mark Kleiner and recollections from Japanese fans that were actually there, as well as many previously unseen photos. The set also includes a DVD of one of the concerts, which has been transferred from a laser disc issued in the Far East, back in 1982. It isn’t BluRay quality but it still looks and sounds amazing.

The 3LP Vinyl Gatefold includes a unique 28 page brochure with an actual replica of an original Davy Jones Japanese tour programme, not available anywhere else. The three LPs are pressed on individually coloured vinyl and a whole LP has been dedicated to bonus tracks.

Born in Manchester, England, Davy Jones will always be best known for his role in the hit American TV show ‘The Monkees’ in which he appeared alongside Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith. The Monkees were one of the original boy bands - before the term was penned - who drove young teenagers crazy with hysteria for their antics and their music. Often unfairly referred to as the “Pre-fab four”, The Monkees shifted some 35 million in record sales and five top albums (four of which went to No. 1 in the U.S.) and six top hits and yet have still never been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

The series which ran from 1966-1968 charted the adventures of an imaginary pop group, inspired by the wave of films featuring British bands such as The Beatles, and Herman’s Hermits. Jones’ boyish good looks meant that in some quarters he was seen as the frontman of the group, generally singing and shaking percussion, although he was an accomplished musician too and Tork said much later that he was a very good drummer but the producers felt that Jones should be up front. Nesmith once said “For me, David was the Monkees. They were his band. We were just his side men.”

Preceding the second wave of Monkeemania which kicked off in 1986, there was something of a resurgence of love for the group in Japan in the early 80s. Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones all toured there separately and were met by screaming fans desperate to see their heroes. Davy seemed to get the most attention in Japan and was the subject of two live LP releases and a clutch of singles which are all collected in this wonderful package.

Before his renowned fame in The Monkees, Jones was a young actor and as a teenager appeared in UK TV shows before hitting the West End, London stage in ‘Oliver!’ which is what led him to the USA when he then appeared in the same production on Broadway. His acting career continued once The Monkees disbanded appearing in numerous TV shows but music remained his first love, and he regularly toured right up until his untimely death at 66. This is the first authorised Davy Jones release since his passing and we hope that there will be more to come!

Label Review. 

Recorded at The Wiltern in Los Angeles 17th February 2013. 4LPs (180-gram black vinyl), 2CDs, Blu-ray video disc, a 40-page photo book from the concert, replica artist backstage pass, replica ticket from the night, 4 lithos featuring each band member all housed in a lift-top collar-style box. Also available on 4LP Set, 2CD and Blu-Ray.

Our Overview. 

’Soundgarden: Live From the Artists Den’ is an absolute must have for fans worldwide. 2019 marks the 35th anniversary of the American rock band who helped create the sound of grunge music and who are one of the most influential bands in rock music the world over, producing a series of generation-changing, multiplatinum-selling, groundbreaking, rock albums during their career.

The release of ’Soundgarden: Live From the Artists Den’ is in conjunction with the Chris Cornell Estate and The Artists Den, hails from a February 17th, 2013 Live From the Artists Den taping at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, California that concluded the group’s U.S. winter tour in support of their final album ‘King Animal’. The career-spanning, nearly two-and-a-half hour set comprised 29 songs, which included early song “Hunted Down,” radio hit “Black Hole Sun” and several ‘King Animal’ tracks, such as “By Crooked Steps” and “Been Away Too Long.” Sound garden guitarist Kim Thayil said in a statement ““We were very proud and excited to document the performance of our new material from King Animal, and to celebrate with each other and our fans.”

It also included “Blind Dogs,” which the band performed live for the first time, and is one of 21 songs that have never been featured in a Soundgarden concert film. The LP will be available in several formats. The limited edition Super Deluxe box houses four LPs, two CDs, a photo book and the concert film on Blu-Ray, which also features bonus band interviews alongside other memorabilia. It will also be available on 4-LP colored vinyl (limited edition), 4-LP black vinyl, as well as on Blu-Ray and as a 2-CD set.

Make the most of these sort of band releases though, since Chris Cornell died in 2017, the rest of the band respectfully decided to knock it on the head rather than get a new vocalist involved. ‘Live at the Artists Den’ follows last November’s Chris Cornell compilation, which was classily “stickered” as ‘his first collection’ so it looks like this won’t be the last of the posthumous releases. 

‘Soundgarden: Live From the Artists Den’ Track List:

LP 1: Side A 1. Incessant Mace 2. My Wave 3. Been Away Too Long

LP 1: Side B 1. Worse Dreams 2. Jesus Christ Pose 3. Flower 4. Taree

LP 2: Side A 1. Spoonman 2. By Crooked Steps 3. Blind Dogs 4. Rowing

LP 2: Side B 1. Non-State Actor 2. Drawing Flies 3. Hunted Down 4. Black Saturday 5. Bones of Birds

LP 3: Side A 1. Blow Up The Outside World 2. Fell On Black Days 3. Burden In My Hand

LP 3: Side B 1. A Thousand Days Before 2. Blood On The Valley Floor 3. Rusty Cage 4. New Damage 5.

LP 4: Side A 1. 4th Of July 2. Outshined 3. Black Hole Sun

LP 4: Side B 1. Ty Cobb 2. Slaves & Bulldozers 3. FeedBacchanal


CD 
Disc 1.

1. Incessant Mace

2. My Wave

3. Been Away Too Long

4. Worse Dream

5. Jesus Christ Pose

6. Flower

7. Taree

8. Spoonman

9. By Crooked Steps

10. Blind Dogs

11. Rowing

12. Non-State Actor

13. Drawing Flies

14. Hunted Down

15. Black Saturday

16. Bones of Birds

17. Blow up the Outside World

CD Disc 2.

18. Fell on Black Days

19. Burden in My Hand

20. A Thousand Days Before

21. Blood on the Valley Floor

22. Rusty Cage

23. New Damage

24. 4th of July

25. Outshined

26. Black Hole Sun

27. Ty Cobb

28. Slaves & Bulldozers

29. FeedBacchanal

Blu-Ray Disc 1

1. Incessant Mace

2. My Wave

3. Been Away Too Long

4. Worse Dreams

5. Jesus Christ Pose

6. Flower

7. Taree

8. Spoonman

9. By Crooked Steps

10. Blind Dogs

11. Rowing

12. Non-State Actor

13. Drawing Flies

14. Hunted Down

15. Black Saturday

16. Bones of Birds

17. Blow Up The Outside World

18. Fell On Black Days

19. Burden In My Hand

20. A Thousand Days Before

21. Blood On The Valley Floor

22. Rusty Cage

23. New Damage

24. 4th Of July

25. Outshined

26. Black Hole Sun

27. Ty Cobb

28. Slaves & Bulldozers

29. FeedBacchanal

30. BONUS INTERVIEW – Chris Cornell

31. BONUS INTERVIEW – Kim Thayil

32. BONUS INTERVIEW – Matt Cameron

33. BONUS INTERVIEW – Ben Shepherd

Label Review. 

2019 album from former Purson founder. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

English singer-songwriter Rosalie Cunningham is releasing her much anticipated eponymous new solo album, which proves Rosalie can thrive in multiple universes, accomplish any genre she chooses and grow as a musician and songwriter with every song she writes. Since her celebrated band Purson played its final gig in December 2016, she has been quietly reinventing her career and is emerging from her self-imposed “musical hibernation” as the visionary solo artist she always was. 

Across eight genre-spanning tracks, fans will be able to hear the incredible progression in both style and substance. With psychedelic roots still firmly in place, her music is still chock full of the drama and performance that typified her previous work, alongside an evolution in her song writing craft; this album shows off the growth as a writer in the past two years.

Rosalie’s new album is the result of an extended period of reflection and will contain her strongest and most daring songwriting to date, ranging from a three minute Blackbird-esque nod to her creative hero Sir Paul McCartney, to an epic prog rock saga that will take the listener on the mother of all sonic journeys.

She says the new material is “not a million miles away” from Purson’s sound and that the new-look band will be “a vehicle for my songs and go under my name – or with and ‘and the somethings’ – but I’m looking for kindred spirits, exceptional talent and excitement.” She continues: “It has to be a band where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. If you are into my Purson material, it’s not a million miles away but it’s more mature. More about honest, powerful songwriting and less about the bells and whistles. Not to say that there won’t still be generous helpings of psychedelia.”

For Rosalie, 28, her creative spring has finally blossomed, though not without a few birth pangs. She explains: “After Purson came to an end, I continued to write songs, not for an album, a band or anything in particular, it was purely cathartic. Being subconsciously released from the shackles of writing music for a band to perform live let me express myself more honestly. Some of the lyrics are quite close to the bone and I’ve found myself exploring new genres.

“Without any perceived pressure, I could take plenty of time over arrangements and that has benefitted the musical landscape compared with previous work. Everything is in its right place without feeling contrived. It also helped spawn great diversity as I wasn’t trying to make it a cohesive body of work, although I feel it has naturally become one.”

“Rosalie... is one of the most exciting rock musicians to come along in ages. She has that indefinable magnetic quality that rock stars are made of.” Shawn Dudley, ProgRadar.

“Rosalie Cunningham is a rock star… she exudes an effortless charisma and quiet confidence. The music she makes is meticulously but lovingly designed to blow minds.” Nigel Carr, Louder Than War.

Label Review.

All remastered: Featuring the albums 'Bundles', 'Softs' & 'Alive And Well'.

Our Overview.

A newly re-mastered 3 CD clamshell box set featuring The Harvest Albums 1975 – 1978 by Soft Machine who are considered as one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time. ‘Bundles’, ’Softs’ and ‘Alive And Well’ have been re-mastered from the original master tapes with replica album sleeves and a poster coverage on all specialist radio reviews In newspapers.

Hailing from Canterbury the band formed in 1966, their work from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band - who were contemporaries of and shared stages with Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett's and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' groups - has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today's hip experimentalists.

Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960’s, the band’s spirit of musical adventure and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeon holed and can move from powerful progressive jazz fusion to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz-rock to ambient loop music continues to make it both unique and totally contemporary.

After recording five highly acclaimed albums for the CBS Records label, Soft Machine signed a licensing deal with EMI’s “Progressive” imprint, Harvest Records in 1974 and would record two further studio albums and a live album for the label over the next three years.

‘Bundles’ was the band’s first for Harvest. An accessible collection, ‘Bundles’ featured Holdsworth’s considerable guitar playing talents and opened a new chapter for the band, and attracted much praise upon release. By the time ‘Softs’ was recorded, Allan Holdsworth had departed the group. The album also saw the final appearance on a Soft Machine album by Mike Ratledge whose synthesiser contributed to the pieces “Ban-Ban Caliban” and “Song of Aeolus”. Soft Machine’s final album for Harvest was the classic 1978 live record ‘Alive and Well Recorded In Paris’. The album was the result of several nights of excellent concerts staged at Le Palace Theatre in Monmartre, Paris in July 1977.

Label Review.

2019 album. Singer songwriter. Also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

Californian singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop writes and performs in a diverse range of styles - from outsider folk to indie rock - and her new album ‘Stonechild’ is a culmination of life and musical experience, uncompromising in its vision and is described by Jesca as a “compassion project.” On the album Hoop refined and defined. Beautiful, subtle and stark, her fifth album, the follow up to 2017’s highly acclaimed ‘Memories Are Now’, is her best yet.

Despite being a long term resident of Manchester, she has until now, returned to her native California to record. This time round however, “it was” according to Jesca “time to step out of my comfort zone, my safe place”, venturing south to Bristol to team up with producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding, This is the Kit). Parish’s minimal and purist approach helped clarify her in her ideas and subtly yet effectively realigning her sound. The simplified arrangements draw focus to the fundamental sophistication of the songs.

While Hoop’s trademark finger-plucked guitar and ethereal textures remain, the songs and their presentation are ever more direct. Parish “was a gentle collaborator until he killed one of my darlings” she jests. “I’ve never been so brutally edited, and I wasn’t shy about expressing my discomfort at the sight of my work on the cutting room floor. He said, you will forgive me, and in some way I think I actually enjoyed that treatment…being stripped back to the bare basics…albeit painfully”. ‘Stonechild’ ventures further into fresh territory with other voices joining the narrative, with Kate Stables (aka This is the Kit) Rozi Plain and Lucius singing the choruses and expanding the sensual depth of the sonic bloom. Embedded in her song writing is an inherent unpredictability something she ascribes to being “guided more from instinct than study”.

‘Stonechild’, Jesca says, is intended to “wrap its arms around our human planet spinning in its increasingly precarious wobble”. These rich and curious songs derived from themes of our troubled times speak Hoop’s heart and mind from her empathetic yet tough loving centre point. With writing so fluid, so natural the result is an album where everything is truly meant.

Jesca spends the summer playing festivals in the US and Europe before embarking on an extensive UK and European tour in October.

Label Review. 

2019 album also available on CD and Black Vinyl.

Our Overview. 

The word 'supergroup' gets thrown around a lot these days, but truly, it doesn't get much super-er than Hollywood Vampires, who comprise the ‘Hollywood’ trio of Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, who return to dazzle us with their explosive second album - as the current line up - ‘Rise’.

In 1969, on the Sunset Strip at the legendary club, the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the Hollywood Vampires were born in the upstairs bar. It was a gathering place for the rock stars living in or passing through L.A. "To join the club, one simply had to out drink all of the members," says Alice Cooper, a founding member of the original Vampires. Cooper and good friend Johnny Depp got together and decided the spirit of The Hollywood Vampires should live again —minus the drinking. Cooper and Depp were joined by Joe Perry (Aerosmith lead guitarist), who is an old friend of both, and the recording began: a tribute to the original Hollywood Vampires. An environment was born for great artists to hang, laugh and play together. 

Seconds into the opening track “I Want My Now,” it’s clear this supergroup has created something special – the chemistry between the individuals is unmistakeable when they come together on stage or in the recording studio. Forget the star-studded lineup’s individual reputations, “Rise” is some of the purest, unapologetic and most enjoyable rock and roll of the year, made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form. 

Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album ‘Rise’ consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie’s “Heroes,” beautifully performed by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died,” and Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” sung by Joe Perry. Raucous rock anthems like “The Boogieman Surprise” and “Who’s Laughing Now,” capture the natural, raw, celebratory attitude of Hollywood Vampires displayed in their rowdy shows around the world. But the album shows off their range as well with tracks like “We Gotta Rise” – a tongue-in-cheek politics song in the the tradition of Alice’s “Elected” – to the psychedelic gothic epic of “Mr. Spider.” 

“Rise is not only a totally different animal than the first Vampires album, it is unique to anything I’ve ever been a part of. I approached it very differently than I usually do when working on an album. Each of us; Joe, Johnny, Tommy and myself have written songs on this album,” Cooper says in a press release. “What is different though is that I didn’t try to change any songs to be more ‘Alice-like.’ Because each of us has different influences, the sound of this album is very cool. I think that with this album, we are establishing what the Vampires’ sound really is, whereas with the first album we were more tipping our hats to our fallen rock n roll brothers.”

“Rise came from pure creative energy, which is just like playing live with the Vampires,” cites Perry. “The record showcases everyone doing what they do best without anyone looking over our shoulders. There was no pressure or deadlines, allowing us to write and record an album that is one of the freest and most honest sounding records I’ve been part of. I can’t wait to perform some of these tunes live for our fans.”

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

Formed in 1992 in Georgia, USA, this rock quintet have three original members: lead singer and guitarist Ed Roland, guitarist Dean Roland & bass player Will Turpin. The current line-up have been together since 2014 with Johnny Rabb on drums and Jesse Triplett on lead guitar.

From their humble beginnings in Stockbridge, GA to the heights of playing to sold-out audiences all over the world, Collective Soul has cemented their place in music by creating indelible, smash-hits like “Shine”, “Breathe”, “December”, “The World I Know”, “Gel”, “Heavy”, “Precious Declaration” and more. The band’s new album ‘Blood’ is the culmination of a quarter-century of assessing not only where they’ve come from, but also where they’re going.

“I think ‘Blood’ expresses where we’ve been on this life journey,” observes frontman Ed Roland. “And we’ve done so with songs featuring piano and strings to those with a lot of guitar riffs. ‘Blood’ is an accumulation of all the different styles we’ve used over the years — but it’s still Collective Soul. I think it’s the best we’ve ever done.” From the hard-charging skitter of “Over Me” to the optimistic declaration of “Right As Rain”, the hopeful uplift of a man “Changed”, and the tender promise of “Big Sky”, ‘Blood’ delivers in full from stem to stern.

Label Review. 

2019 debut album. Features Rachel Goswell (Slowdive). Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Eponymous album from British duo The Soft Cavalry: Steve Clarke and Rachel Goswell, and a debut that could be called a happy accident, a lovers story and a crisis of faith. For Steve Clarke, The Soft Cavalry’s self-titled debut album is equally a labour of love, and the first record he’s masterminded from start to finish, with invaluable contributions from his wife, Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, on co-vocals and spiritual/practical guidance, and Steve’s brother Michael, who produced the record. 

The Soft Cavalry is a rarity, a musical project that began life on an industrial site in Reading where Steve was introduced to Rachel. A year later, they were living together in Devon, before marrying in 2018. Rachel not only, “turned my world upside-down,” but unwittingly provided, “the catalyst,” for The Soft Cavalry. “I’d always had ideas but never felt that anything I had to say was worthy of anyone’s attention, let alone my own,” he says. “I wish that I could have done this fifteen years ago but, in reality, I simply couldn’t have. But I’m not one to overly wallow. I’d rather plough the various levels of confusion into songs.”

‘The Soft Cavalry’ is equally an exercise in creative and personal therapy, as can be said for numerous musicians before them. The band’s music is a particularly British brand of intense cinematic drama. Melodic and timeless, the album lands in the atmospheric dimensions between Pink Floyd, Talk Talk and Mansun. A record radiating midlife crisis but equally enormous elation; a helix of fear and hope, aching for resolution. A record Steve emphasises that he “needed” to make. Additionally, the album is a way of rewriting a man’s narrative, and proof that relative late bloomers (Steve was in his late thirties when he made the album) can make the record of their dreams.

‘The Soft Cavalry’ is something of a life’s work – a chance for redemption, a heart-to-heart with the self. ‘Bulletproof’ addresses, “struggle and fear, and making sense of it in your head.” ‘Only In Dreams’ admits, “accepting you’re not the finished article that you’d like to be.” Two brooding epics were fired by his Christian upbringing: ‘The Velvet Fog’ – “my doubts with faith, but not being able to shake off my past, even today” – and ‘The Ever-Turning Wheel’: “always trying to thumb my way back to something I had when I was younger, something simpler.”

If the album has a theme, reckons Steve, “it’s recovery versus new doubt. I’m there, in the middle. The word that kept coming back to me was ‘resilience’. With the right mentality and people around you, especially family, we get through, and find a level of hope.”

After he and Rachel finished their album, Steve found a name for it, out of thin air: The Soft Cavalry. “I can’t explain its literal meaning,” he says. “It just made sense.” Might Rachel be the cavalry? “Maybe! It would be subconscious, but that makes sense too, strangely.”

The Soft Cavalry will play live, starting around the album release. So, this happy accident, lovers’ story, crisis of faith, labour of love and therapy session is set to continue – Steve’s already got the next instalment written, titled ‘The Lost Decade’. Lost versus found. Recovery versus self-doubt. The Soft Cavalry has arrived.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Straddling rock and roll, country, soul, folk and R&B. Also available on vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

The son of country legend Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson formed Promise Of The Real in 2008 after deciding to pursue his career in music full time. The first half of the 2010s saw the young band tread the boards not just on their own but also as Willie’s backing band and it was at Farm Aid 2014 that the Neil Young jammed with the group and selected them to be his backing band for his next album ‘The Monsanto Years’ and subsequent tour. Young was clearly pleased with his young chargers behind him and a live album (‘Earth’) and a second studio album (‘The Visitor’) followed. With the band firmly on the map Lukas added his name to the combo and they released their debut album in 2017.

‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’, the poignant and timely title track from the new album is an uplifting and emotional song, with backing vocals from Sheryl Crow, and is a message of hope, positivity and activism. “We’re trying to encourage a lifestyle where people can be active in their local communities, and do something constructive, rather than glued to a device,” said Nelson. “It’s really about living your life with your heart leading the way.”

Inspired by their keen interest in the environment and association with organizations such as Farm Aid, the band has launched a video series called ‘Good News Garden’, encouraging fans to share their stories of hope, community gardening and local activism. In each new episode, their favourite letters will be read from the road via video. Fans whose submissions were chosen will receive special seed cards and other promo items.

Recorded at Shangri-La in Malibu and the Village Studios in West L.A., ‘Turn Off The News (Build A Garden)’ was co-produced by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and John Alagia, who helmed the group’s previous, self-titled effort in 2017. The band: bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo, percussionist Tato Melgar, multi-instrumentalist Logan Metz and Lukas Nelson, worked fast recording 30 original songs during brief breaks between tours. They tracked straight to analog tape, keeping overdubs to a minimum while focusing on the live performances. Vocal and instrumental contributions from friends and family include Margo Price, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson, Kesha, Shooter Jennings, Randy Houser, Lucius, Madison Ryann Ward, Hunter Elizabeth and Neil Young.

Label Review. 

2019 album alson available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Calexico and Iron and Wine come together again to deliver us their stunning new collaborative album - and much awaited - ‘Years To Burn’. The eight-track effort, recorded by Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino with I&W's Sam Beam, will be released via City Slang. The three performers crossed paths often over the years following their first collaboration 2005’s ‘In The Reins’ and frequently talked about giving it another shot, but it wasn't until last year that their scheduled synched up and they were able to get over their preconceptions of each other's sound and find a way to fully weave their voices together. “In my mind, I was a guy who knew three chords and recorded in a closet,” said Beam in the statement. “They were playing big stages and were superb musicians."

The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” that cemented the bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. Although they often talked about rekindling their collaboration in the studio and on stage, it wasn’t until last year that their schedules aligned.

'Years to Burn' can’t help but be different from In the Reins. Back then, Calexico entered the studio with a long list of previous collaborations (first in Giant Sand, then backing the likes of Victoria Williams and Richard Buckner) and the knowledge that they loved Sam’s voice and his songs, but wondered if his material was so complete and self-contained that it lacked a way in, so hushed and delicate that it might be overwhelmed. For his part, Beam had been intimidated by their virtuosic playing and their deep comfort in an encyclopedic array of styles. “In my mind, I was a guy who knew three chords and recorded in a closet,” Sam says. “They were playing big stages and were superb musicians.”

Those fears were dispelled quickly. Calexico was bowled over by Beam’s many talents: “The arranging, the writing, his sense of rhythm, the quality of his vocals—and then there’s the experimental side of Sam,” Joey says. “They were the perfect band at the perfect time for me,” Sam adds. “I loved all their different sounds. They’re musical anthropologists, not regurgitating but absorbing what they discover.” Nearly 15 years on, “coming back to the project has to do with acknowledging how much impact the first record had for me in my life.”

‘Years to Burn’ was recorded in Nashville with noted producer Matt Ross-Spang over the course of five days at Sound Emporium, a fabled studio founded in the sixties by Cowboy Jack Clement and the site of countless landmark sessions in country and rock over the ensuing decades. It features contributions from veteran Calexico trumpet player Jacob Valenzuela and Paul Niehaus on pedal steel, along with frequent Beam cohorts Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio) on piano and Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple) on bass.

‘Years to Burn’ features ten new original compositions. While Beam wrote all the songs for In the Reins, this recording features contributions from both Beam and Burns as well as from Convertino and those featured on the record. While the two may have taken differing approaches to songwriting, the spirit of collaboration was alive and well in the studio; Sam shared demos ahead of time and was ready for the others to con-tribute with arrangement ideas and instrumental parts, while Joey spontaneous as ev-er, came in with concepts and an eagerness to improvise.  

“Life is hard. Awesome. And scary as shit. But it can lift you up if you let it,” Sam offers. “These are the things Joey and I write about now. And the title can encapsulate a lot of things. ‘Years to Burn’ could mean you’re cocky, you’ve got it made. Or, our life is ours to burn, to be inspired. Or you’re burned by life, brutalized. It’s an ambiguous title, because life is complicated. Let’s not talk like teenagers about love, desire, pain, ‘cause we’re not teenagers. And that’s not a bad thing.”

 “This project had to find the right time,” Joey concludes. “We’re all different people than we were in 2004, and music helps to bridge some of the gaps. For all the things going on in our world and in each of our lives, this connection, this friendship, this love that we have—this album is a vehicle for that bond. It’s a chance to see where we’re at, take stock and be there for our friends.”

Label Review. 

2019 album. Bluegrass.

Our Overview. 

Netherlands based bluegrass quintet The Oldtime Stringband are back after a hiatus of three years and we’re absolutely delighted to share their fabulous new album - their self-published and 4th release - ‘Pretty Little Horses’ the follow up to 2016’s ‘Cat’s Got The Measles’, encompassing tracks that are positively bursting with toe tappin’, old-time fiddlin’ tunes guaranteed to put a jig in your step, a smile on your face and a twang in your heart!

‘Pretty Little Horses’ is a dynamic album of full of modern bluegrass and tracks well-rooted in traditions or as the band puts it “proves that The Oldtime Stringband does what they like to do”. Whether they’re staples of the bluegrass repertoire, resurrected rarities or original penned songs, what each has in common is an incomparable authenticity, delivered by musicians with close harmonies, combined with gorgeous acoustic instrumentation which results in music that is warm, honest and captivating. The album was recorded in the studio of the renowned dutch singer songwriter Tim Knol, who owns a studio in the heart of his hometown Hoorn. Tim also took the helm for the sound engineering and album production.

The 8 track album kicks off with the old Appalachian tune “Cluck Ol Hen”, first recorded by Fiddlin’ John Carson, in 1923, sung here with the appropriate whooping by Shelly O’Day (Guitar, autoharp). They follow through and have some fun with Ruud Spil (Banjo) singing “Old Yellow Dog”, a tune which is known to have been used (with different lyrics) as a campaign song for Abraham Lincoln. The album’s title track “All The Pretty Little Horses” is an old American lullaby which is beautifully sung by Shelly and Lidewij de Vries (Fiddle). Following the instrumental tune ‘White Face, written by violin maker Joe Thrift, Lidewij steps up to sing the Papa Charlie Jackson song “Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine”, recently covered by Carolina Chocolate Drops. Double bassman Nico Druijf tackles “Old Man At The Mill” which was first covered by The Dillards in 1963 (Doug Dillard would go on to record two albums with Gene Clark). “I Truly Understand”, another traditional - best known as covered by Jerry Garcia - is sung by Ruud. The album wraps up with a gorgeous rendition of “Long Black Veil”, originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell but later covered by a long list of artists from the likes of Johnny Cash, The Band, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and many more, sung with delicacy by Shelly and Nico.

The Band (originally a sextet) got together in 2011 specifically to provide musical accompaniment to a documentary about the Dutch cow-painter Ruud Spil. Both the musicians and the audience enjoyed it so much that the band started what they called “a stampede of interest”, resulting in the collective self-producing their first album ‘Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around’ 2012. Since forming the group: current line up - Shelly O’Day: Guitar, autoharp, Cajun-triangle. Ton Knol: Guitar, mandolin. Ruud Spil: Banjo. Lidewij de Vries: Fiddle. Nico Druijf: Upright bass, singing saw - have performed extensively in the Netherlands and toured in America and Europe. So be sure to see them live if you get the chance you will not be disappointed as they’re a treat for Bluegrass fans old and new.

Also available on CD from The Oldtime Stringband: 'Chicken Crows For Day' (2014).

Label Review. 

1979 compilation remastered. Original tracklisting. Also available on CD. 

Our Overview. 

Buzzcocks were one of the first wave of UK punk bands but unlike the London based bands, this lot hailed from Manchester and were formed after two friends Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto read an NME review of one of The Sex Pistols earliest shows. The pair were so excited, despite not having heard a note, travelled to London to see the group in February 1976. They arranged for Rotten and co. to play in Manchester so they could support them but when their other recruits dropped before the show they had to wait until the Pistols returned to Manchester in July of that year when they realised their dream with the addition of Steve Diggle (bass) and John Maher (drums).

Buzzcocks were off and running and they next created their own cottage industry when they self recorded their debut EP and released it themselves on their own label: New Hormones. “Spiral Scratch” was a low-fi affair but bristling with energy and attitude and it quickly sold out of it’s pressing of a 1000 copies. They ordered more copies and it supposedly sold 16000 in the end, and inspiring many more groups and entrepreneurs to enter the record making game and creating the independent label movement which ended the near total monopoly of the major companies.

Ironically, Buzzcocks wound up siging to United Artists Records in 1977 after Devoto quit the group to form a new group: Magazine. Diggle switched to guitar and his bass slot was taken up by Steve Garvey. This line-up recorded a string of singles which are all featured here on what was the bands first and to be frank, best compilation covering both sides of the eight singles issued around their first albums between 1977-1979.

The opening track and bold debut single for the label “Orgasm Addict” was banned by the BBC for it’s lyrical content but after this all their singles made the UK charts - their cunning mixture of buzzsaw punk guitars, hummable melodies and Pete Shelley’s lyrics exploring relationships of an ambiguous nature. Along the way, “Ever Fallen In Love” almost made the Top 10 and remains their best known song.

This album was originally compiled for and released in the US prior to their tour there in late 1979. After the band split up in 1981, it gained a belated release in the UK where it became the standard starter pack for inquisitive music fans.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Also available on CD. 

Our Overview. 

‘Western Stars’, Bruce Springsteen’s first new studio album in five years takes his music to a new place, drawing inspiration in part from the Southern California pop records of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The album was recorded primarily at Springsteen’s home studio in New Jersey, with additional recording in California and New York. “This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements,” says Springsteen. “It’s a jewel box of a record”.

The 13 tracks of ‘Western Stars’ encompass a sweeping range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope. Again, Bruce teamed up with Ron Aniello (who produced his last two albums ‘High Hopes’ and ‘Wrecking Ball’) who plays bass, keyboard, and other instruments. Patti Scialfa provides vocals and contributes vocal arrangements on four tracks. The musical arrangements include strings, horns, pedal steel and contributions from more than 20 other players including Jon Brion (who plays celeste, Moog, and farfisa), as well as guest appearances by David Sancious, Charlie Giordano, and Soozie Tyrell. The album was mixed by Tom Elmhirst.

Springsteen has spoken of ‘Western Stars’ previously, suggesting that it was recorded before his run in ‘Springsteen on Broadway’, which spanned from October 2017 to December 2018. “[The] record is influenced by Southern California pop music of the ‘70s, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, those kinds of records. I don’t know if people will hear those influences, but that was what I had in my mind. It gave me something to hook an album around; it gave me some inspiration to write.”

Label Review. 

Newly remastered versions of the albums ‘Phaedra’, ‘Rubycon’, ‘Ricochet’, ‘Stratosfear’, ‘Encore’, ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Force Majeure’ all drawn from the original first generation master tapes, and new Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes of ‘Phaedra’ and ‘Ricochet’ by Steven Wilson. ‘In Search of Hades’ includes 8 CDs of previously unreleased material; 3 London concerts in full (Victoria Palace Theatre in 1974, The Rainbow Theatre in 1974 and Royal Albert Hall in 1975) along with the previously unreleased full soundtrack to ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’, recorded in July 1974 and remixed in 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo by Steven Wilson. Also includes 2 CDs of previously unreleased outtakes from the Phaedra sessions at The Manor Studios, Oxfordshire in November 1973 and the surviving 35-minute live recording from Coventry Cathedral in October 1975. The box set features 2 Blu-Ray discs featuring the 5.1 mixes of ‘Phaedra’, ‘Oedipus Tyrannus’ and ‘Ricochet’, along with a 1976 German TV performance and BBC Old Grey Whistle Test broadcast of Tangerine Dream at Coventry Cathedral. Plus hardback book.

Our Overview. 

Loved and revered worldwide for many decades, Tangerine Dream were true pioneers of ambient and electronic music. Their influence is massive – and the albums they recorded for Virgin Records between 1973 and 1979 remain classics. This box set is the definitive statement of this period in their history.

They came to Richard Branson’s attention when their fourth album ‘Atem’ was pronounced ‘Album of The Year’ by John Peel in 1973. He signed the group to his new Virgin Records label and ‘Phaedra’ was the tenth album to be released by the company. It became a hit in the UK making the Top 20. The follow up, 1975s ‘Rubycon’ went even better cracking the Top 10 but their commercial prospects slipped after this but their legion of fans kept the band in the charts for the rest of the decade.

Label Review. 

2019 album. Folk. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Canadian banjo songster Chris Luedecke - master of narrative-driven folk songs that are playful, coy, and soul warming - two time Juno and multi east coast music award winning, Polaris prize nominee, troubadour aka Old Man Luedecke, returns with his banjo in tow with his new album “Easy Money”. 

It’s been four years since his last release 2015’s ‘Domestic Eccentric’, which saw Chris reflecting on parenthood and now his sixth studio album deals with grappling the newness of middle age, dad jokes, love for an abiding partner, and the death of a parent, mixed in with some calypso-feeling local Nova Scotia history thrown in for good measure.

While ‘Easy Money’ began as part of the Banff Centre's songwriter-in-residence program, the album was captured with the help of producer Howard Bilerman of Montreal's famed Hotel2Tango studio, where the album was eventually recorded.

The record features 9 new original tracks and guest appearances by Grammy award-winning Tim O’Brien, Alfie Jurvanen (Bahamas), and Fats Kaplin (Jack White, John Prine). Old Man Luedecke has been uncompromisingly unique in cementing himself in the top echelon of Canadian Folk artists and “Easy Money” makes no exception.

BBC Radio 2 Folk Session is confirmed for Old Man Luedecke on 31 July.

Label Review.

2019 album with John Beasley, Jasper Somsen & Kendrick Scott. Jazz.

Our Overview.

‘The Fine Line’ is an intriguing album and Bob Sheppard’s second on ChallengeRecords, following the sonically rich ‘Close Your Eyes’. Over the course of an extraordinarily diverse career that has made him a first call musician in the realms of jazz, pop and the studio worlds, multi-woodwind specialist Bob Sheppard has always let his array of saxophones, flutes and clarinets do the talking. Superstar names highlight his resume, and jazz critics have been raving about him as both a sideman and leader for years, but such praise is simply a byproduct of Sheppard’s years of steady work and dedication to his craft - a tradition that continues on his latest release as an artist.

On ‘The Fine Line’ Sheppard is joined by John Beasley, Jasper Somsen and Kendrick with special guest appearances by Benjamin Shepherd, Mike Cottone, Simon Moullier, Maria Puga Lareo and Aaron Safarty.

Jasper Somsen: “In 2016, Bob returned for another week of concerts and studio recordings. Shortly after, the former General Director of Challenge Records, Anne de Jong, offered me the opportunity to work on a number of audio productions as an independent producer. One of those projects became this very anticipated album. Bob decided to call John Beasley and Kendrick Scott and I flew to LA to record with them. As I was getting ready for the trip, I asked John Clayton, my former teacher and friend, where I could rent a great instrument.John kindly offered me his famous Ray Brown double bass, the one Ray used in the 1960s during his time with the Oscar Peterson Trio.

"I believe “The Fine Line” is a beautiful statement that displays the great music and musicianship of Bob Sheppard and that of all the players involved. It demonstrates that if you strongly believe in the life of an idea, desire will find a way to turn it into a plan and in the end your dream can come true.”

Over Bob’s career other distinguished collaborations include eight years with Freddie Hubbard, and tours and performances with Chick Corea´s ensemble Origin, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Horace Silver, Lyle Mays, Nat Adderly and Toshiko Akiyoshi/Tabackin Big Band. Some of his more significant recording credits include Scott Henderson, John Beasley, Mark Isham, Otmaro Ruiz, Bill Cunliffe, vocalist Kurt Elling, Marilyn Scott, Michael Franks and Diane Reeves, while including pop icons Steely Dan, Rickie Lee Jones, Rod Stewart, Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder.

Bob Sheppard has honed his intuitive personal style through collaborations with this remarkable range of artists as well as playing on over a hundred movie and television soundtracks. Having earned his Master´s from the Eastman School of Music, Sheppard draws upon his diverse musical background delivering musical intellect, commanding technique with a warm inviting sound to every performance.

As a passionate music educator, Sheppard is a part-time faculty member at the USC Thorton School of Music, and frequently a guest clinician at colleges around the country.